As Bluestone State Park superintendent Brett McMillion helped his 9-year-old son, Travis, put a squirming night crawler on a hook, I did the same for Brett's 12-year-old daughter, Samantha. We were spread out along the shoreline of Bluestone Lake, a focal point of the 2,100-acre state park.

"Who usually catches the first fish, you or your brother," I inquired.

"I do," said Samantha immediately. "You know how boys are."

Not really sure how we boys are, although having heard for years about the gender's many flaws from my wife, Elaine, I decided not to ask a follow-up question to Samantha.

But she was right about who would catch the initial fish, for about 10 minutes later, Samantha derricked a pumpkinseed sunfish upon the shore. However, let the record show, that less than a minute later, Travis likewise scored as he, too, landed a member of the sunfish clan, a bluegill.

I will not record for posterity who of the duo caught the larger of the two fish. Just let me pen that the two sunfish were roughly equal in size; besides, the length and weight of the pumpkinseed and bluegill were not important that day. What was special was that Brett was able to take his kids fishing -- something that many West Virginia sporting families enjoy doing every year.

Certainly, Bluestone State Park, which lies in District IV, is one of those places that should be considered for a trip.

"Bluestone is a very family-oriented park," McMillion said. "There's very good fishing for bass, catfish and sunfish in the lake, and we have about eight miles of trails. An excellent one for families is the 1.7-mile Big Pine Trail."

Big Pine begins at a campground and follows a rolling path for most of its length, though there is a steep descent toward the end. The superintendent says that his youngsters have trekked the trail since they were 5 years old and enjoy the deep woods nature of much of the hike. The trail also comes close to several creeks, which children often like to explore.

Bluestone also features nature programs, a fishing rodeo, and arts and crafts projects such as pinecone birdfeeders. Trail hikes, magic shows, raptor displays, volleyball and kickball are other activities and a stop at the snack bar is a must. One of the most popular nature programs is "Let's Make Tracks," where kids can construct plaster molds of wild animal tracks they find.

My family and I first visited Bluestone State Park in the mid-1990s and for Elaine's and my getaway last year, we brought our daughter, Sarah, and her husband, David. We spent several days in one of the 26 cabins. The four of us played heated games of Spades at night after grilling out in the front yard of the cabin.

One day Sarah and Elaine walked to the park's pool while David and I drove to the nearby Pipestem State Park and wade-fished for smallmouths and sunfish. If your family would prefer to camp, there are 126 sites available at four campgrounds. Each campground has a bathhouse and the sites range from rustic to modern with tent and RV camping and hot showers. For those families who want to really enjoy nature, the East Shore Campground has 42 primitive sites and is accessible by boat only.